


rob the frontier

by i_was_human



Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Demons, Everyone Is Gay, Junsu (Lost in Translation) & Kang Dongho | D.Min are Brothers, M/M, Magic, Shapeshifting, a bit of revolution, background dongdae, background juntae, background narose, haven't met her, kang bros healthy relationship ftw, pacing? whaaaaaaa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:14:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26452420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_was_human/pseuds/i_was_human
Summary: "So," Jun states, leaning forwards so he's cast in the firelight. "What do we do? We have a shapeshifter, two half-demons, and a guy with a sword.""We overthrow the kingdom, of course."
Relationships: Ahn Jaewon | Wyld/Lee Minsoo
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	rob the frontier

Minsoo still remembers it like it was yesterday.

He can still remember the look on Minsung's face, desperate and pleading, as the soldiers pushed around him to try and get to Minsoo, can remember the way he shoved Minsoo behind him, summoning his sword to his hand.

_"Minsoo! Run!"_

He can still remember sitting in the ashes of his town, dead bodies strewn around him, and _sobbing_.

He can still remember the cat who padded up to him, dark and fluffy, and who, before he could blink, turned into a dark-haired boy with wide, shining eyes.

 _"My name's Ahn Jaewon,"_ he'd whispered, reaching out to clasp Minsoo's hand, _"and I'm scared, too."_

And, well-

since that day, it's been the two of them.

Minsoo and Jaewon, Jaewon and Minsoo. 

The last wielder of the Enchanted Sword and the last shapeshifter.

And Minsoo doesn't know what to call their relationship - whether it's friends or something more - but Jaewon's never left his side for years, always taking the form of a cat or a wolf or a lion, and Minsoo just-

Minsoo _adores him_.

Minsoo adores him with every fibre of his being, has ever since they first met, and he knows that without Jaewon, he'd've been killed long ago.

Jaewon, impossibly, seems to know the same.

Minsoo's glad for that, at least.

* * *

They meet the next two members of their team in a random town.

The villagers tell stories about the cursed boy over beer and meat, and Minsoo's curiosity is, understandably, piqued. 

Apparently, the cursed boy and his brother live in a hut just outside town. They've only ever seen his brother - a small, scarred boy, with dark-rimmed eyes and tainted wounds - but all of them know he's there.

Minsoo, of course, thinks this is the coolest fucking thing ever.

"This is a terrible idea," Jaewon sighs, back in human form and looking like he regrets all his life choices, but is sticking with Minsoo anyways out of devotion. "Hyung, you can't mess with demons-"

"I absolutely _can_ mess with demons!"

"Hyung..."

Minsoo walks right the fuck up to the hut door and knocks three times - _tap-tap-tap_ \- on the wood before stepping back. 

"Min-"

"Ssh, Jaewonnie. This is a good idea."

Jaewon chooses to respond to this by turning into a wolf.

The door creaks open, and Minsoo beams upon seeing a haggard face peek through the crack. Messy dark hair frames dead eyes, and the man stares at them like they're morons, apathy evident.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm Lee Minsoo," Minsoo grins, "and this is my wolf, Wyld."

"...whatever you're selling, I don't want any."

"I'm not selling anything!"

"...mhm."

"Actually," Minsoo grins, bouncing on the balls of his feet, "I'm the last holder of the Enchanted Sword - 's why my hair's silver - and I'm pretty good at exorcising!"

Jaewon stares at him with pleading dark eyes, and Minsoo boops his snoot.

"...uh-huh."

The guy doesn't sound convinced.

"What's your name?" Minsoo asks, and the guy leans against the doorframe, folding his arms over his chest.

"Jun."

"Any second syllable, or...?"

"Jun," the man repeats, and Minsoo nods.

"Okay, Jun! Mind if I try and exorcise that demon?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to _stab my brother_."

"I won't _stab him_ ," Minsoo scoffs, and Jun stares at him, unimpressed. "Why do you have so little faith in me?"

"Five different 'priests' have attempted to stab him."

"...huh. Did they succeed?"

Jaewon looks like someone just murdered his cat.

"No," Jun deadpans, expression blank. "I'm not letting you in the house."

"C'mon, please?"

"No."

" _Please_?"

Jun opens his mouth to respond, but he's cut off by a sudden tremor.

Minsoo materializes his sword and digs it into the earth, and Jun's eyes widen as he slams the door in Minsoo's face.

Deep violet cracks run through the earth, taint spilling from them and into the surrounding earth, and Minsoo knows he has to move fast.

He kicks down the door, gesturing for Jaewon to follow him inside, but as soon as he passes the threshold-

darkness.

A wave of darkness, black and bitter and _tainted_ rushes forwards, and Minsoo slashes through it, his glowing sword cutting through the darkness. For just an instant, he catches sight of a dark-haired man lying on the ground, dark marks up his arms and chest, and he knows what this is immediately.

" _Jaewon_!"

A hand grabs onto his, and he turns, gaze landing on his dark-haired partner. "I need you to go in and wake up the half-demon!"

"What?"

"Wake him up!" Minsoo shouts, and Jaewon nods, leaping forwards and shifting back into a wolf.

Minsoo waits for a second, listening for a distant howl, and when it comes, he runs his fingertips along the sword, the metal glowing a brilliant gold. 

"Ultimate Move! Demon Slayer!"

He slashes through the darkness in one fluid motion, and there's an instant where nothing happens.

And in the next, the world explodes in light.

Minsoo goes flying back, and he yanks Jaewon's tiny form out of the air and cradles him to his chest. The cat mewls, curling into him, and Minsoo's hand comes up to protect his head as they skid across the ground, the Enchanted Sword dematerializing as it hits the earth.

"Fuck," Minsoo simply states, placing Jaewon on the ground and propping himself up on his elbows. "Where...?"

Jaewon shifts back into a human in an instant, pushing himself to his knees and curling up on the dirt. "Ah... ahh..."

"You okay?" Minsoo asks, and Jaewon nods, reaching up to scrub at the bits of darkness dripping from his lips.

"Are they okay?"

Minsoo squints, watching as the dust clears, and once it does, he gulps.

The house is fucking _decimated_.

Jun's crouching over his brother - a half-demon - and holding a knife, and Minsoo recognizes it as the same kind of knife his father used to carry.

One to ward off demons.

"Wait!"

Minsoo stumbles forwards, mind whirling, because half-demons are fine, they're not dangerous if they have human blood, and he's seen _so many people_ die because of their families, so he can't let this happen here-

"What?" Jun spits, and Minsoo reels as the dark-haired man stands, the knife clutched in a death grip. "Are you coming back to finish the job?"

"You're not... you're not gonna kill him?"

"He's my _brother_ ," Jun growls, tears shimmering in his eyes. "Of _course_ I won't kill him."

Minsoo raises his hands in silent surrender, taking a step closer. "Do you mind if I try something?"

"Give me your sword," Jun simply replies, and Minsoo nods.

It feels strange, not holding the Enchanted Sword, but Minsoo hands it over to Jun without complaint. He runs his palm along the blade, wincing as a thin crimson line appears, and he steps towards the unconscious half-demon, hand clenched and blood dripping from his fist.

"Please work..."

From what he can tell, the half-demon is close to twenty, if not older, and if he's been subsiding solely on blood from his brother...

well.

Minsoo may die from this.

He parts the man's chapped lips, squeezing his hand so blood drips off it, and he watches as the drop lands on the man's lips, rolling into his mouth.

Before Minsoo can react, the man slams him to the floor, eyes open and glowing a brilliant red, and he screws his eyes shut as the man digs his teeth into his neck.

Man, he's gonna be sore in the morning.

"Minsoo!" Jaewon screams, and Minsoo gives him a lazy thumbs-up as the half-demon laps the blood from his neck.

"'m fine!"

He waits another thirty seconds before kicking the man in the chest, and he stumbles back, reaching up to wipe his chin with his sleeve.

"Huh," he simply states, and Minsoo watches as the sigils fade from his arms and cheeks, revealing expanses of pale skin. "That's new."

* * *

The half-demon's name is Dongho, Minsoo finds out, and with their house destroyed, they've volunteered to join Minsoo and Jaewon on their quest.

"Mom was the demon," Dongho states, a blanket draped over his shoulders and hands wrapped around a mug of soup. "She had me and Junsu-yah, and then fucked off to hell-knows-where. Of course, we didn't know she was a demon. Dad didn't tell us."

Jun nods, teeth digging into the flesh of his lower lip, and Minsoo slides closer to Jaewon, arm wrapping around his best friend's back.

"What happened to him?"

"Hyung killed him," Jun murmurs, and Dongho winces, gaze dropping to his hands. "Years ago."

Dongho nods, quick and stiff, and his fingers drum over the ripped fabric of his pants. "Why are you trying to take down the king?"

"They took my brother," Minsoo whispers, "and they killed my family."

Dongho pauses, then nods once more. "Pretty good reason."

"They killed my family, too," Jaewon mumbles, wrapping his arms around his knees. "My mom, dad, and little brother..."

Silence reigns supreme for a moment, and Jaewon leans into Minsoo's side, a soft sob escaping his lips.

Minsoo _gets it_ , honestly. Dongho reminds him so much of Minsung that it _aches_.

"So," Jun states, leaning forwards so he's cast in the firelight. "What do we do? We have a shapeshifter, two half-demons, and a guy with a sword."

"We overthrow the kingdom, of course."

Jun and Dongho give him twin unimpressed looks, and Minsoo flinches, taken aback. "What? That's a great plan!"

"That's a terrible plan," Dongho states, and Minsoo scowls.

"See if I ever save your life again."

* * *

They end up finding the people they need at a tavern nearly a year later.

Minsoo's bandaging up a scratch Jaewon got from a particularly zealous patron - most people don't take kindly to seeing a cat run off with a prime cut of meat, after all - and Jaewon's smiling at him in that cute little way that makes Minsoo's heart do loop-de-loops in his chest when Jun and Dongho return, a man between them.

His glasses hang askew, and there's a guitar strapped to his back, the strap falling over his chest and covering a few scrapes. His blond hair is dirty and blood-coated, and Minsoo watches as Dongho pushes the man into a seat next to the fire, withdrawing a rag and dabbing at the scrapes on his forehead.

He doesn't seem like the kind to be the entire group's older brother, and yet he is anyways.

"What's your name?" Minsoo asks, and the man - boy, really; he can't be older than Jun - blinks at him, eyes owlish behind his cracked glasses.

"Daehyun. Kim Daehyun."

"What happened?" Jaewon asks, moving to take a seat next to him (and Minsoo does not mourn the loss of warmth, no sir) and rub at some dried blood on his cheek.

"Nari-noona, Rose-noona, and Taehyuk-ah stopped in a bar to pick up supplies," the boy explains, "but then some royal soldiers came. Said we were 'disturbing the peace' 'cause they saw our instruments - we're traveling musicians - and they arrested the others. I managed to get away, but..."

His eyes shimmer with tears, and he leans into Dongho's touch, the half-demon's eyes widening slightly before he continues to clean the blood off his face.

"I'm never gonna see them again," Daehyun sobs, tears dripping off his chin and landing on his blood-covered hands. 

"We'll get them out," Minsoo promises, and Jun turns, visibly unimpressed. 

"We will?"

"We _will_ ," Minsoo insists, and Dongho nods, lips curling into a faint grin. 

Does Dongho...?

Oh.

 _Oh_.

Minsoo catches his eye and grins, and Dongho rolls his eyes, reaching over to scrub some dried blood off Daehyun's temple.

Honestly, how can Daehyun be so blind? Dongho is _so clearly into him_.

"Hyung?" Jaewon murmurs, and Minsoo turns, lips curling into a grin as Jaewon leans into his side. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Jaewonnie."

* * *

As it turns out, Jun is gay as fuck for Taehyuk.

The kid is clearly half-god, based on the spark in his eyes and the ethereal glow he's perpetually low-key emitting, but the half-demon doesn't seem to give an iota of a shit.

Risky perspective, but then again - Jun is an idiot.

Nari and Rose watch the pair with a hint of amusement, and Minsoo grins as them while Jaewon patches up a scratch on his forehead, cat tail lashing behind him and eyes somewhere between human and cat.

It's endearing, how he turns into a half-animal when he's too stressed to focus - but then again, he's ridiculously stressed, so Minsoo would rather see him full human.

Is that gay? Probably.

"So," Nari grins, plopping down next to them, "how long have you two been together?"

Next to him, Jaewon chokes on air.

"We're not together," Minsoo laughs, and Nari frowns, gaze flitting to Jaewon.

"Are you sure?"

"Um-"

"Noona!" Daehyun calls, and Nari grins, sauntering over to chat with the blond.

"That was weird," Minsoo hums, and Jaewon laughs, a little high, a little awkward.

"Yeah! I mean, imagine us dating. Us! That would just be _crazy_!"

Minsoo frowns, leaning closer to place his hand on the back of Jaewon's neck. "Are you okay?"

"O-Okay?" Jaewon stammers, and Minsoo stares at his burning red cheeks and ears. "I'm fine! Finer than fine! I'm amazingly fine!"

"Just kiss!" Jun calls, and Minsoo laughs, leaning in to press his lips to Jaewon's.

("that's cheating," Rose grouses, but she slaps a dollar into Jun's hand regardless.)

* * *

Never let it be said that Minsoo isn't a brilliant fool.

In the end, they decide a full frontal attack is the best idea, and thus it is executed.

Jaewon tears through the crowds as a wolf, Dongho and Jun... do their creepy thing, Taehyuk mesmerizes and distracts, Rose makes flowers grow out of the earth, Nari fucking mows people down with her sword, and Daehyun... uses his guitar as a weapon.

That's one way.

Minsoo storms through the castle, sword in his hand and books clicking against the tile, and Jaewon follows him, a wolf loping silently by his side.

They arrive at the doors to the throne room, and Minsoo gives Jaewon a small kiss before kicking them in and striding into the room with all the grandeur of a king.

"What is this?" the actual king shrieks, struggling to get his portly form off the throne. "Guards!"

"This is a revolution," Minsoo grins, pointing his sword at the overweight man, "and you can either come quietly or in a body bag."

**Author's Note:**

> this is definitely
> 
> a fic
> 
> uh it was gonna be longer but then i was like "...but all my other shit" so here it is
> 
> inspired by the uverworld song of the same name; i'm sorry 7ds did you so dirty you lovely song
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/i_was_human_) | [lit fic discord!](https://discord.gg/CNunB74)


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